Invitation
by heartforhumanity845
Summary: Every second counts, especially in matters of the heart. A look into what would have happened if Poppy had shown up just a few minutes earlier to Branch's bunker the night Chef attacked. Short, sweet, and fluffy Broppy xxx


_**What would have happened if Poppy had been just a few minutes earlier in her arrival at Branch's bunker?**_

 _A Broppy fanfic_

He couldn't stand her. Let's get that straight right away.

He hated the fact that she was so optimistic, so full of joy that it made him sick to his stomach. He reviled her for her careless parties, so loud and boisterous. He couldn't withhold his absolute disgust at the fact she made friends at the drop of a hat.

She was everything he was not, the true yin to his yang…..and she never let him live a day without letting him know it.

Unfortunately for him, many occasions were of a yearly warrant, and for each of these occasions (birthdays, weddings, slumber parties, etc.), the sickeningly sweet Princess of the Trolls would make invitations for such events and always made sure to give one to him. Regardless if he was in the mood for one or not. Which, according to her at least, he never was.

He would do everything imaginable to the poor works of pure craftsmanship in order to emphasize his disenchantment in receiving them. Ripping, cutting, stomping, throwing, and crumbling to name a few. There was not very many things that Branch could hold onto as a trait of his, but consistency was something he took great pleasure in executing at every chance he got.

Almost as annoying as receiving the cards was the tutti-frutti troll's reactions to the maiming of her work. She always looked torn in half when he did so, or would give a little gasp of shock. He truly didn't understand what kept her coming. She had to know that as long as she kept giving them to him, he would continue to react in the same way.

It had not been any different that day. Hearing her from a mile inside the woods, he promptly rolled his eyes and collected the sticks he had been vehemently foraging for in the past thirty minutes. How on earth could she so blatantly put herself and the rest of the village in danger of being found by their natural enemies? It was like ringing a dinner bell. A beautiful, harmonious dinner bell…

He stopped himself. Where had _that_ come from?

Unbeknownst to anyone else, the grumpy gray troll had quite an exquisite sense for a good voice. With a pair of ears like his, it was almost a requirement. Whether he had wanted to or not, he had become susceptible to analyzing virtually every troll's voice over the years. And to his equal surprise and disdain, the Princess herself could not be topped in the realm of perfect pitch.

"Branch." He hated the way she said his name, like it was almost a burden for her to do so. He had scolded her and the others once more for their musical number and was now standing facing them with his supplies tight in his grasp.

"I know you have happiness inside you. You just need our help," She gestured to the Snack Pack, "to find it." With that, she produced yet another one of her incredulous cards and held it out to him.

 _Cel-e-brate freedom from the Bergens!_

A spray of glitter immediately assaulted his face, and it seemed as if the Princess was almost leaning in further to make sure it got _everywhere._ He waited patiently to commence his tradition, giving her a blank stare. Once the glitter had run its course, her ridiculously smug smile spread across her face.

"What do you say, Branch?" She asked on a tone that made him want to straight up snap something in half. Forcing himself to give a sarcastic smile, he gently took the card from her grasp and then did what he had been anticipating. He stomped it straight into the dirt.

A collective gasp and 'oh my gah' from Smidge erupted from the group.

"I wouldn't be caught dead at your party. But _you_ will be." He said. "Caught _and_ dead." He said, slicing at his throat with his hand for emphasis. He watched her eyes fall in defeat, and he knew that he had won. _Again._

One irritating encounter with Creek, a few choice final words, and a swift walk back to his bunker later, Branch set down his supplies in one of his many storage rooms that were situated a little further back from the entrance. Giving a heavy sigh, he grabbed at the back of his neck and let his head hang forward for a moment in a weak effort to stretch out his tense muscles.

He took up residence in one of the many dens within his bunker, and with a quick look around, he opened up a set of curtains on the nearest wall. Greeting him was nothing but colorful felt cards from virtually every occasion. All personally made by the troll he loathed most.

He pushed a few to the side to produce a small craft kit that he had hidden in the very back, and it was with this that he set to work on fixing the card he had just brutally crushed with his foot. After making sure the others had gone, he had returned to the clearing to retrieve the crumpled remains, tucking it away in his hair and making haste back to his bunker so that nobody would see him.

Holding the remnants nimbly in his rather large hands, the gray troll pieced it together little by little, working through the mechanisms like clockwork.

The first time he had received such a card from her, Branch had taken the poor thing completely apart to understand how she did it. It wasn't that he cared, he just wanted to know how on earth she spent so much time on such a trivial object. Knowing that its receiver would only give it maybe a couple of seconds of his time.

Regardless, the more she gave him, the more he had to work with. He finally had her craft down to an understanding, and it was with this knowledge that he began keeping them. Quietly and without her knowledge.

Branch was not a sentimental troll in the slightest. He would rather burn all he had ever owned than admit that something gave him even a hint of enjoyment. He couldn't afford to. He had been dealt such a nasty hand….it felt right to deprive himself of the joy the simplest things brought.

But when it came to the Princess' cards, when all was said and done, he truly could not follow through with it. He had steeled himself multiple times, mentally told himself that it was only fair, but something always tugged at his heart when he was just about to follow through. He couldn't place it nor did he want to….but he kept them. Tucked away and safe, he kept them close at all times.

He routed the last of the wiring back into place, snapping it into its respective coil before shutting it and slowly opening it up for the voice to sing. And indeed it did.

 _Cel-e-brate freedom from the Bergens!_

He blinked a few times, happy that he had once again restored the pink troll's art to its former glory.

Getting up from his spot at the work table, he decided to go and retrieve the other half of his sticks from the front door, since carrying all of it was virtually impossible in the storage corridors. Weaving his way effortlessly through the many hallways, he finally came to the door.

Just as he was bending down to pick up his supplies, he jumped back at least three feet as a resounding pound on door came from outside, coupled with a voice so shrill and so….familiar. Realization streaked across his face in utter panic.

"Branch! Branch! Branch! BRANCH, ARE YOU IN THERE?" The pink trolls' chant hollered against the solid barrier between them, and Branch rolled his eyes, sliding the little slot open to glare at her.

"I'm not going to your party!" He said angrily.

"The party's over! We just got attacked by a Bergen!" Her voice sounded absolutely frantic.

"I _knew_ it!" He said before unlatching the door and yanking her inside.

After a couple of minutes of animated conversation, the two found themselves in yet another one of his dens, and he listened to her half-heartedly as she rambled on.

"And now I don't know what to do!" She exclaimed, tensing herself up for a moment before giving him the most pathetic look he had ever seen out of her. He turned himself slowly, propping his hand against the wall.

"Why don't you try scrapbooking them to freedom?" He asked. He saw the registration appear on her face, and it flattened.

"Solid burn, Branch." She declared nonchalantly. He couldn't help but smirk and cock a brow at her submission to his roast. Her expression twisted slightly, and she shrugged.

"Well, thanks anyways." She said, beginning her walk back over to the elevator that had brought them down there.

"Hey, no problem Poppy! See you in ten years!" He said, trying to ignore the flutter in his chest as her name glided like butter past his lips.

Poppy gave him one last irritated glance before lifting up on the lever, raising herself upwards until she had disappeared into the elevator shaft. Branch watched her go, and began to turn away when his entire body ran cold.

The card. He had left it _open_ on his work bench, and Poppy was venturing up in its direction. A whole new wave of panic set in, and he quickly made his way over to the emergency staircase, throwing the door open and bolting up its many winding steps.

Poppy couldn't believe it. After pouring out an apology and even admitting that he was right, the grump of Troll Village had still refused to lend her a hand. The _nerve!_ It was enough to make her want to scream!

Suddenly, a thought appeared in her brain. A devious one, one that she was sure he would pull if he had the chance.

 _Ooooohhhhh I'm SO getting him back for this!_ She thought, beginning to think on how she would do it. First she would have to round everyone up, then tell them that—

A sound off in the distance stopped her. Her ears perked up in its direction, and she stopped the elevator for a moment. Her hand on the lever, she primed herself to listen for it again. There it was! Further up! She jerked the lever upwards again, keeping her ears honed in as the sound grew slightly louder. And louder. Until it was right next to her.

She stopped the lift once more, and her eyes widened as she finally put the pieces together.

 _Cel-ebrate freedom from the Bergens!_

She could not believe her ears. It was impossible…..

Poppy slowly moved down the hall and turned into the only doorway in that particular stretch, her eyes immediately laying upon her latest creation.

 _Cel-e-brate freedom from the Bergens!_

She neared it, picking it up gingerly and looking it over. It looked as if it hadn't been crushed in the slightest, and she could see the faintest outlines of hot glue sealing the felt back in place.

 _He_ did this? Not only retrieved it, but fixed it so it worked again? Why? What could possibly be the purpose?

Out of the corner of her eye, she turned and observed every card she had made him over the past five years, all clustered together neatly on the little shelf in the wall. Her heart fluttered at this.

 _He kept_ _ **all**_ _of them?_ She thought to herself, and before she could react any further, she heard the resounding, rapid footsteps of someone running down the hall towards the door, and in an instant she was met with the crystal blue gaze of the very troll she had been admiring.

There she stood, her pink eyes gazing at him in a way he never thought he would see. She held her card gently in her grasp, and he watched her expression twinge slightly as he came into view. His heart pounded inside of his chest, and he scrambled in his brain to find the right words. What emerged was far from graceful.

"Poppy, I-erm…" He said, stopping himself before he could inflict further embarrassment on himself. A heat rose to the tips of his ears and cheeks, tinging them into a dark grey.

Princess Poppy had never seen the village grump in such a fluster. He looked absolutely out of his element, the complete opposite of the snarky, confident troll she had witnessed just moments earlier.

It was in that moment that she forgot about the Bergen. Her friends and what was at stake. In that strange and beautiful moment, something clicked. And she had eyes for nothing but Branch.

Subsequently, the gray troll observed her inch herself closer to him in absolute horror, her eyes giving him such a feeling that he had to scream internally to keep from completely freaking out. His fists clenched slightly and he sucked in a breath.

Stopping just a few inches from him, her gaze was soft but with a fire kindling behind them. She leaned in ever so slightly, and a whole new wave of ecstasy coursed itself through Branch's veins as he inhaled her intoxicating scent of strawberries, jasmine, and warm vanilla. His breath hitched, and she smirked.

"I knew it." She whispered. Branch's expression fell to confusion.

"Knew what?" He managed to utter without stuttering. Poppy's gaze shifted to triumphant, the smile never leaving her face as she crossed her arms.

"I _knew_ you cared." She declared. Branch's heart wouldn't stop racking against his sternum, and he swallowed hard before turning away. He looked to all of the cards again, realizing for the first time in a while just how many there really were. It had become a collection of sorts, a collection of his proof that she cared for him, and vice versa.

"Only for you." He replied softly before his stomach dropped. Had he just said that _out loud_? He could have died right then and there. He refused to look at her, but the gaze boring into the back of his head became too much and he dared himself to turn around and inspect the damage of his confession. Angry? Disgusted? Indifferent? He was sure of it.

What he got was not what he expected in the slightest.

Poppy stood completely still, back straight but her head tilted downwards slightly as she stared at him in disbelief. However, this kind of disbelief was different than what it was generically associated with. It wasn't out of the disbelief that he cared for her, but rather…that he cared for her _back._

The pink princess smiled gently, and he felt his stomach do backflips. Oh how he loved her smile. It was his absolute favorite thing about her. And this one was genuine, making small crinkles appear in the corners of her eyes. His adoration quickly turned to panic again as she leaned in again.

"Well, I guess that makes two of us then." She said. Branch lost himself after that declaration. Before he could so much as think, his hands were on either side of her face and pulling her into a desperate lip-lock. Her small squeal of surprise only fueled his advance as he worked himself onto her, snaking an arm around her waist while continuing to massage their lips together. To his complete elation, she returned the movements with just as much desire and hunger as he. The two were completely lost in their senses that were drenched in each other. The smell, the warmth, the _feeling_ ….it was enough to bring anyone away from reality.

 _You're making a terrible mistake._ His brain screamed repeatedly with each stroke of his lips against the sensual plump of her mouth. It yanked at him tauntingly, daring him to pull away. He did not.

Poppy soon found herself searching Branch herself with her hands, her fingers brushing against the firm skin of his abdomen underneath his vest. She had always imagined him to be firmer than most male trolls due to his outdoorsy lifestyle and stockier build, but this was like opening a present on Christmas Day. Full of surprises.

As if sensing her delight in her discovery, Branch gave a determined grunt and pulled her flush against him, allowing her entire torso to experience his robust physique. Poppy could hardly contain herself at the feeling of him pressed against her. Never before had she been so physical with another troll, let alone her secret crush of several years. So many sleepless nights spent thinking about how he would feel…how he would _taste_ ….all answered within sixty of the best seconds of her life.

It was then that they began to cool down, their kissing becoming more tender and gentle. With one last firm press, Branch broke away for air, and the two immediately locked eyes. Dazed and completely over the moon, he spoke.

"Sorry." He said, and tore his gaze away while walking to the other side of the room, hand on his neck. Poppy blinked several times, eyebrow arched in complete confusion. She turned around to look at him again, observing his completely reverted nature.

She knew why he did so. She knew he was scared. She would never let him know it, but she knew that something had made him this way. Something had hurt him so badly that he fought at any chance of being happy, and she knew he was in no mood to open up. So, she did the only thing she could possibly think to do. Her posture straightened, and she advanced towards him. His eyes widened and he began to back up at once, but she made him freeze just as quickly as she gave him a sweet, gentle kiss on the cheek. Blue met pink as she gazed at him with assurance.

"Don't be."

Branch watched as she turned and left, climbing aboard the elevator and lifting up on the lever. He stood there completely in shock.

He had just _kissed_ Princess Poppy. The one troll in the entire village who had never given up on him, had given him a reason to carry on. He had _kissed_ her. Nothing could possibly make it any better. All those years pining, gone in an instant. It felt wonderful. He didn't care what his mind told him. He had enjoyed himself, and he was going to hold onto that feeling forever.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Everyone in Bergen Town was all a-buzz with the colorful streets and the restored Troll tree. Princess Poppy and the trolls had shown their arch nemesis that there were more than enough ways to bring happiness into their lives, and things were slowly wrapping up for the day.

"Alright, everyone! Great work today! Let's head home!"

Branch watched as Poppy appeared along the pathway back to Troll Village, observing everyone begin to turn and walk away in the opposite direction. As the Princess turned to walk as well, a voice stopped her.

"Hey Poppy!" She turned around and smiled warmly at her newly colored companion Branch, his vibrant indigo hair quite the shock against the earthen background. As she neared him, her smile only brightened.

"What's the matter, Branch?" She asked, stopping just a few inches from him. He bashfully scratched at the back of his neck.

"I was wondering….since the Bergen's aren't a threat anymore….would you….want to celebrate back at the bunker with me?" He asked, a heavy blush consuming his face and cheeks. Poppy felt her heart melt at his question. He hadn't even been full of color for a day and he was already so beautifully different. She reached over to take his hand, making him yelp in surprise as she pulled him close.

"Branch, for once….I don't think you'll need an invitation for that." She muttered as she closed the gap between them, their hair intertwining in perfect harmony as the two shared a tender kiss beneath the clear summer sky.

Yes, Branch couldn't stand Princess Poppy.

And that's just the way he liked it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **I've been having this one-shot floating around in my brain for a while, so I finally typed it up and here are the results! I hope you all enjoy it and please leave a review for me if you'd like, including any requests you'd like to see written and maybe even a plot suggestion or two for a future one-shot! Thank you all so much for reading and rest assured that Chapter 9 of Just as You Are will be up within the day!**

 **With many thanks,**

 **Heartforhumanity845**


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